Thursday, April 30, 2009

This Week's Chapter - Done!

My weekly chapter rewrite is complete! I still have to type some of it out, but it's been redone, and that's what's important.

On a side note, I've been reevaluating my writing time and space. It used to be, before we had annoying neighbors move in, that I could pick up my writing time at the end of the day with a glass of wine and be done with my daily goal.

However, since we've had neighbors move in, it's been difficult to set a groove. They're from Uruguay and have no concept of being polite neighbors. They weren't too bad when they first arrived in the fall, but from winter on their child has been a noisy nuisance. I live in a two-story duplex, and every single day (with rare exception), this five year old thunders through the house and shrieks at the top of his lungs.

His running causes the walls to shake and items to eventually fall, so I've taken almost everything off our walls. The shrieking is obnoxious, but I can't stop them other than requesting that they calm their diablo nino down on weekend mornings. Yes, he does it all afternoon and from 7 AM on during the weekends.

I finally got them to realize it truly is loud and obnoxious when he does this on weekend mornings. We've taken to saying the Mexican Hare and Spanish Parakeet are playing downstairs, depending on what noise he's decided to make.

So this leaves me with a quandary. I need my shut out writing space to write. The outside world has to be gone, or I get too distracted to work. It's hard enough focusing after a day of balancing people's salaries and explaining to researchers that compliance really does care how they consent people. Now I have a menagerie downstairs.

I could try taking my laptop to the library, although I don't feel like leaving the house after work. Cranking my music works, but even Queen doesn't drown out the Mexican Hare.

I think I'm going to have to shorten my writing time to work on only 1-2 pages of editing daily instead of sitting down for a chunk amount of time. Editing takes so much more focus than actual writing. Then I can slip in my work between wild animal bouts and hope I don't get too annoyed.

My current worry is that all of my editing is shit because of the distractions. I wish I had a book buddy to swap chapters/books with and discuss why we liked it and didn't. I have a critique group, but that serves a different purpose. I need to find a sample group of fantasy readers to bounce back and forth with once serious edits are "complete". (I am deluding myself about revisions ever being complete, of course. ;o) )

4 comments:

Danyelle L. said...

*hugs*

That can be frustrating. Hope you're able to work something out. :D

The Screaming Guppy said...

I'd love to take you up on that once I have less on my plate.

Maybe in June or so?

M. K. Clarke said...

Try getting a set of good earplugs, play the tunes, and zone that way? Works wonders for me. I get hairline-deep in my works and only get alerted from that zone for bodily functions or when the husband scares the piss/shit out of me :).

Know the lamentations all too well. That's what works for me. Give it a try. Something will work out. *Hugs*

Anonymous said...

Maybe instead of the passive aggressive route you should start lodging complaints. If not with your useless landlady, then with the fuzz. Say there's a screaming child and you want to ensure he's not hurt.

Is there anything in your lease that says your landlady has to address problems with neighbors? If so, tell her about it and if it continues tell her again and remind her that it's her responsibility to provide you with a home free of this kind of thing. It's the same as having your electricity needing rewiring or the water going miff or any other repairs she's responsible for.

I hate noise. Hate it.